


The Wolf Beside Me

by EdoEclipse



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Anime, Cheesy, Drama, F/M, Fandom, Fantasy, Gajevy - Freeform, Gajevy is cannon IRL so why not, I combined anime fan fiction with cheesy werewolf books, Love, Lycans, Manga, Mates, Romance, This is a Gajevy fanfic, Werewolves, Wolves, and that man loves to break our hearts, did I mention cheesy?, even Hiro Mashima approves, im so cheesy, levy is awesome, lycanthropy, mating stuff, nerd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 14:45:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13549551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdoEclipse/pseuds/EdoEclipse
Summary: Levy McGarden, the average bookworm, the average teenager. All she wanted was to take a simple stroll through the forest, but from this innocent act brings forth a new and exciting life for the young woman. She discovers things that were only meant to remain inside fairy tales, and yet they become her brand new reality.





	1. Chapter 1

-Levy-

"What?! What do you mean I can't go outside?!" I yelled out at my mother, who was currently glaring at me.

"Levy, there has been an incredibly high number of wolf sightings in our area. It's dangerous to go into the forest right now!" my mother scolded me, her finger pointing towards the back door.

I rolled my eyes at the overprotective woman. Ever since my Father passed away due to a rare illness, my mother had become insanely overprotective of me. She's a constant fear of which anything could happen to me. I loved my mother dearly, seeing as how I was her number one priority. I wouldn't lie and say that she never spoiled me, for that would be a massive lie.

Whatever I wanted, my mother would purchase for me in a heartbeat. But, the only thing that I ever wanted were books, books, and even more books. Due to her nature, my room was incredibly messy, but not with clothes or trash. Oh no, it was messy by the countless number of books that littered the floor.

I had run out of room on my bookshelves long ago, and with no more room to place another, I really had no choice but to store my books underneath my bed and onto the floor. Luckily for me, my mother didn't mind all that much.

"Mom, don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'm taking the shortest path, and you know that one pretty much circles our house. There's no way that I could get lost," I eventually told her.

Sighing, Mom pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh, alright. But you better be home in time for supper."

Nodding towards her, I made a quick dash towards my room. I needed my gloves and heavy coat, for it was snowing heavily outside. But it was this snowy weather that I loved the most. Winter was my absolute favorite season after all.

Quickly slipping on my deep orange gloves and bright orange coat, I quickly rushed out of my room, making sure that I didn't trip over any of my books.

I pecked my mother on the cheek before grabbing my orange and white scarf from the mantle by the back door. Opening the door, I waved goodbye to my mother before quickly leaving.

Once I was outside, snowflakes began to fall in my hair and onto my nose. I giggled at the beauty that the outdoors possessed at the moment, tilting my head back and catching snowflakes on my tongue.

My house was located far from the nearest town, my property surrounded by a large forest. I loved the fact that I could wake up to the sound of forest animals and fall asleep to the crickets and frogs. It made my time for reading much more peaceful, and I would never want to stop being this close to nature, no matter what.

Walking along a small path, I made my way towards the forest, which contained barren trees whose only covering was the snow itself. The lack of pine needles and leaves did make the forest seem...mysterious, but it would never scare me. It made me feel brave that I could tread along the paths to a forest that closely resembled a horror story.

Though I knew, unlike the countless number of horror stories that I had read, nothing terrible would ever happen to me in these forests.

Sure, an unusually high number of wolves had been spotted in our area, but I highly doubted that they would be this close to my house. They lived in packs, chasing deer and other large prey such as that, and the deer around here remained deep in the forest, areas I've never visited.

"Sure is quiet out here," I mumbled to myself, noticing how unusually quiet it had become.

I was walking along the path in the forest, the one closest to the edge. I had full confidence that nothing was too terribly wrong, but at the same time, I've never had this situation occur. The forest, no matter what time of day it was, never fell silent. There were always frogs, squirrels, crickets, birds, and other animals to keep it quite noisy. So why had all of them cease to create any sounds?

And then, there was a howl.

I froze in my steps, my stomach dropping instantly. I prayed that the howl was off, miles away from here. And yet I still had that sinking feeling.

Another howl sounded out, and another, and another! Soon, multiple howls rang out through the forest. Frightened, I began to run down the path, hoping to make it back home before anything bad happened to me.

But it seemed that luck really wasn't on my side, as two large wolves leaped out from the denser part of the forest. They tackled me, ripping my clothes and leaving scratch marks all over me.

"AHH! Help! Someone help me, please!" I screamed out, covering my face from the scary looking wolves.

The large, silver-colored wolves continued to claw and bite at me, causing myself to be in excruciating pain. I curled up into a ball, simply waiting for them to deliver the final blow and devour me.

But then, another howl sounded throughout the forest, causing the two wolves above me to glance up. A growl, such a deep, menacing sound, was heard to my right.

Very weakly, I brought my head up a tad, glancing with fear at the sight before me.

It was another wolf, a much larger wolf, but this wolf looked much different. He was easily twice the size of the duo of wolves that attacked me, his fur as black as a raven's feather. His eyes glowed red, the tone of the color much like that of a ruby.

What shocked me was the fact that the wolf's attention wasn't on me, but the smaller wolves that had attacked me. Without warning, the larger wolf leaped off of the rock that he was standing on, pouncing upon one of the smaller wolves. The other smaller wolf leaped on top of the dark one, which I assumed was to aid the other silver wolf.

I took this opportunity by crawling away, much too injured and weak to successfully get back up into a standing position. Finding a large bush, I quickly hid in it, watching the fight from my hopefully safe position.

I watched as the large, black wolf easily snapped the neck of his victim, killing him and moving onto the other. In just a matter of minutes, the red-eyed wolf had successfully defeated his duo of victims. And despite the fact that this creature saved my life, I knew better than to reveal myself.

But then, the most...strangest thing happened, right in front of my very eyes.

That...large beast, transformed into an equally large and somewhat scary looking human. Much to my relief, he had shifted with a pair of ripped jeans on.

His hair came down to his waist, the color of it matching the fur of his wolf. His eyes were also the same, that...fascinating ruby red. His skin was very tanned, most likely from being outside so much, and he had so many piercings. There were piercings that replaced his eyebrows, piercings on his nose, ears, chin, and even arms!

I gasped loudly in shock, quickly covering my mouth when his head snapped over towards the direction that I was in. However, it was too late, as he began to make his way over to where I was.

Frightened beyond belief, I attempted to curl up, but it became out of the question when intense pain coursed throughout my entire body.

"Hey, I ain't gonna hurt you little Shrimp," a rough, deep voice said to me softly.

Glancing up, I gasped when I noticed that the creature was right in my face, his face showing a deep concern. I let out a small whimper, my eyes clouded with tears.

Without warning, I felt strong, gentle arms wrap around me, pulling me up and out of the bushes. I winced at the pain that each cut, bruise, and bite mark gave me.

The man-wolf carrying me winced himself and glanced down at me. "Sorry I didn't get here earlier, but I didn't think that this would be how we would meet.."

"What?" I asked, clearly confused.

I wasn't scared of him anymore, as he obviously was not hostile. But this creature acted very strangely. Very strange indeed.

He scowled. "Tch. I'll explain later. Wendy'll fix ya up."

I just stared at the wolfman even more, my curiosity becoming greater. "I don't understand."

"You will soon. Just go ta sleep, little Shrimp. I'll wake ya up when we get there," he grumbled out.

Sleeping was the last thing that I wanted to do at the moment, but after awhile, the combination of exhaustion and weakness eventually forced me to fall asleep in the arms of this mysterious creature.


	2. Chapter 2

-Levy-

"Can't you make her better any faster?!"

"I'm trying! I've never dealt with a human before!"

"I command you to hurry up!"

"Your Alpha Wolf doesn't affect me. Hehe.."

"Stupid little sister..."

My eyes blinked open, seeing a strange looking ceiling above me. If I didn't know any better, I would have assumed that I was in a cave somewhere.

"Brother! She is waking up!" a child-like female voice called out.

Within seconds, fingers were running through my hair, and I couldn't help but relax at the wonderful touch. Glancing up, I discovered that the culprit, who was running their fingers through my hair, was the wolfman who saved me.

He smiled softly down at me. "Hey, Little Shrimp. How ya feelin'?"

I winced, now realizing the pain that engulfed me. "It hurts."

"Where does it hurt?" he asked me.

"All over," I bluntly reply.

"Wendy! She's still hurting! Why is she still hurting?!" he growled out, snapping his head towards someone else.

Glancing around, I spotted a young girl, who couldn't be any more than twelve or thirteen, rolling her eyes at the large man.

"Of course she's going to hurt, idiot. She's a human. She can't regenerate as quickly as we can," she pointed out, mashing various herbs and such in a small wooden bowl.

But what did she mean by we? I knew that the man beside me was some sort of werewolf creature, but was she also one as well?

"Well, I'll make her one of us then," he replied, leaning down towards my neck.

I gasped and swatted at his face. "G'get away from me!"

He suddenly backed away from me, his eyes wide with horror and...hurt? "I...I..."

"He's sorry. He didn't mean to do that. He was just worried about you, but he's a huge idiot, so he doesn't know how to make accurate decisions that aren't related to the pack," the little girl explained to me.

"P'pack?" I questioned.

"She doesn't know about our kind, sister."

Hearing his deep voice, I glanced up at the tall, pierced man. "What are you two talking about?"

"Should we tell her?" the dark blunette asked the wolfman.

"I'll talk to her, Wendy. Mind goin' to check on the pack for me?" he asked her, giving her a stern look.

Nodding, Wendy left the..cave that we were in. I then noticed that I wasn't on a bed, but an abundant collection of furs. The blanket that I had was also a fur, and it was so soft and warm. It kept me warm from the negative temperatures outside.

"Little Shrimp."

The man, this...creature who saved me, smiled softly down at me. He even helped me sit up some so that we could engage in a comfortable conversation.

"W'where...where are we?" I asked.

He glanced around some before focusing his attention on me. "At my pack. I'm guessin' ya saw me...ya know...change?"

I nodded. "I did, but...I...I don't understand."

"Well, ya see. I'm a Lycan, a human that can shift into a wolf anytime they want. Even in our human forms, we still have super senses and can regenerate our health at a much faster rate than humans," he explained to me.

"Oh...but what about the wolves that attacked me? Were they..?"

He growled softly and nodded. "Those morons were Lycans too, but they were different. There are some of us who hate our human forms, so they stay in their wolf forms all the time. But, we need to be in our human forms to remain stable. If not, we go feral, acting like any other predatory animal wolf."

"So those two were...feral Lycans?" I asked for clarification, trying to lock all of this new information in my mind.

"Yea...and I'm glad I found ya in time. I don't know what I'd do if they'd.." he trailed off, clenching his fists together.

I became rather confused by his behavior. "Why would you care? We just met....right?"

He then looked away, his face showing that he was...hurt in a way. But I didn't know why. We've never met before, I was sure of it. I was certain that I would have remembered meeting a Lycan, a creature that I had thought to only exist in the books that I read.

"Yer name is Levy McGarden. Yer seventeen, and yer favorite hobby is to read. Yer father passed away when you were four years old due to an unknown disease. Yer favorite color is orange, ya love winter, and you've always wanted a cat named Pantherlily," he suddenly told me.

I gaped at the man, anger rising inside of me. "How do you know all of that stuff?! What are you, a stalker?!"

He smirked. "I stalk you, and you only. But that's not how I know that. Do ya remember elementary school, that scrawny kid who always clung to ya?"

Glaring at him, I nodded.

"Remember how he was yer best friend? How he said he'd marry ya when you two grew up?"

Again, I nodded towards him with a glare.

"What was his name?" he asked.

"Gajeel Redfox, but what does he have to do with this? He moved away during sixth grade. He left me behind," I told him sadly.

"Describe him. What did he look like?" he asked.

"You're weird, but if you must know...he had black hair. It was spiky, and during fourth grade, he started growing it out. And he had red eyes. They were like...well, I always told him that they reminded me of..."

"Rubies?" the man finished for me.

I gasped, staring up at the man. "How did you..?"

He smiled a full smile, reminding me instantly of that same smile Gajeel smiled, but it can't be?!

"Hey, Shortie. Miss me?"

"G'Gajeel?!?!"


	3. Chapter 3

-Gajeel-

"Oh, Gajeel!" Levy cried out as she jerked my hand towards her face, nuzzling into my palm.

I smiled down at my little shrimp. The little girl I had to leave behind because of my father's demanding ways.

My thumb gently caressed her cheek, a small smile forming on her lips, her beautiful plump lips.

Gah! Don't think like that!....yet!

"Why?" she suddenly asked.

I raised a studded brow at her, becoming curious. "Why what?"

"What did you leave me all alone?" Levy croaked out, tears falling down her face.

It broke my heart to see her like this, to see my little bookworm so sad and hurt. "I didn't want to leave ya, Little Shrimp. It was sudden on me too."

"How?"

"I didn't know that I could actually become a Lycan. My old man thought I didn't get the gene cause I was so short and skinny. So it shocked him when I just...passed out and shifted on my twelfth birthday. Anyways, since I wasn't human anymore, I couldn't stay at a human school." I explained to her.

She gazed up at me. "Short? You were always taller than me!"

"Gihi. I was short for a pup, and you're really short Shrimp."

"Don't make fun of my height you...you furball!"

I laughed at her, resting my head beside hers. "Furball? Is that the best you could come up with?"

Glancing towards her, I noticed that she had a blush on her cheeks. Not able to control myself, I gently kissed her cheek, much like I did when we were kids. It caused her to blush even more, smiling that dorky little smile that I absolutely loved.

"You could have told me, you know. I wouldn't have said anything," Levy mentioned, staring into my eyes.

Her hazel eyes were still as large and as innocent as they were when we were kids. Her odd yet adorable blue hair and doe-like eyes are what made Levy so perfect.

So frickin...perfect.

I ran my fingers through her light blue hair. "I wanted ta tell ya Shrimp, but I found out that Lycans have their own laws. The biggest one was that we couldn't reveal ourselves to any human unless they were our....significant other.."

"Oh...but, I saw you! I know about your kind," she pointed out.

I nodded. "I know, and that ain't a real good thing. You can't go back to normal human society now, so you have two choices to choose from."

"And what are those?" Levy sat up on the fur throws, my fur throws.

"One, I have ta kill ya, as it is my duty as Alpha male. Or two, a mateless male wolf chooses ya as their life mate," I revealed, watching her closely for her reaction.

Her eyes widened, tears pouring down her cheeks. "You won't kill me, will you?"

Smiling sadly, I gently wrapped my arms around her, making sure to not put any painful pressure on her injuries. "I'm ain't gonna kill ya."

"But you said--"

"I know what I said, but lucky for you, there's a male wolf that wants a mate. He thinks yer cute and adorable, so he wants ya,"I whispered in her ear, smirking when she shivered slightly.

"W'who?"

I gently kissed her ear. "Don't know. Some dense guy who claims he's known ya for years. Even asked ya to marry him when you two were kids. Have any idea who he is?"

I leaned up slightly to stare at her beautiful face. She stared back at me with utter shock.

"Gajeel..."

"What? I was gonna kidnap ya actually. Not sure when, but I need an Alpha female. And the only girl I'm lettin' get near me like that is you, Levy McGarden," I admitted to her, smiling a fanged-filled smile at her.

To my relief, she giggled and leaned up, kissing my nose gently. "I got my Gaje back!"

I groaned, though it honestly made my heart flutter to hear her call me my old nickname. "Please, not the nickname!"

"But why, Gaje? It suits you!" Levy giggled out.

Rolling my eyes, I pecked her forehead before standing up. "I'll get Wendy ta come in an' check yer wounds again. But I need ta do somethin'"

She pouted at me. "Will you be back?"

"Of course Shrimp! This is my cave after all!" I told her with a smirk, ruffling her hair.

"Wh...WHAT?!" I heard her screech out as I exited the cave, causing me to chuckle.

Glancing around my pack members, who were sitting around the central fire, I found Wendy talking to that pup Romeo. Being her older brother, I wanted to slaughter that pup for even going near my sibling, but I also knew that the pair were very fond of each other. Everyone knew that they would end up together eventually. It was only a matter of time and a little growing up on their part.

"Oi! Wendy! Go check up on the shrimp will ya?!" I commanded her, causing her to nod and rush over to my cave.

I glanced over at Romeo, who cowered away from me, scooting closer to his father, Macao. I smirked at the pup's weak personality. He'd had to be a lot braver to take my sister as a mate.

"So, are you going to tell us who the girl is?" my second in command's mate, Lucy, asked.

I smiled very slightly, but I kept my usual scowl. "Levy McGarden, your soon-to-be Alpha female."

My pack gasped at my words, most likely shocked at the fact that I had finally chosen someone.

Gray, my best scout, glanced at me suspiciously. "What pack is she from, Alpha?"

I glanced away. "She's human."

"What?!"

"Human?!"

"Is that even legal?!"

Everyone began to talk all at once, which led to me getting irritated rather easily. "Alright, that's enough!!"

Everyone became silent.

"Now, I don't give a crap if choosin' a human is against our laws. Levy is gonna be mine, whether you poodles like it or not!" I yelled at them.

Natsu suddenly emerged from the forest, walking up to Lucy and nuzzling the crook of her neck. I fought the urge to roll my eyes towards my second-in-command.

"Natsu, what did they say?" I asked.

He smiled. "The Eastern Pack has accepted our offer as allies! The Alpha has requested a visit here in two weeks."

"I accept. Elfman, replace Natsu and deliver the message for me. The second-in-command needs rest," I stated.

Elfman, an insanely tall and built Lycan, nodded his head, leaving to prepare for the day's journey.

Glancing at my other pack members, I nodded towards them. "You may all do as you wish."

Afterwards, I made my way back towards my cave, already wanting to see that cute little bookworm who will soon become my life mate.


	4. Chapter 4

-Levy-

About a week had passed before I was able to get up and move around. Gajeel had been very protective of me, not allowing anyone other than himself and his little sister, Wendy, to visit me. He claimed that the others could end up giving me a deadly disease.

"Like what?!" I had asked him.

He shrugged. "Rabies?"

But that was Gaje, the guy whom I grew up with. I did remember him being incredibly attached to me. I had always asked him why he stayed by my side at all times, and he would always reply with the same old answer.

"I like you."

We did crush on each other, and we knew that we liked one another. However, my mom would never allow us to officially date because we were only in elementary school, and I guess she did have a point there.

"Hey, little Shrimp."

Glancing up from my book, which Gajeel got me from one of the pack members who liked to read, I spotted my best friend leaning against the cave wall. Smiling, I patted the empty space beside me on the large collection of fur throws.

I was incredibly embarrassed when I found out that I was staying in Gajeel's cave, but he assured me that since we were to marry at a ceremony soon, it would be totally fine for me to stay with him. It wasn't as if I've never slept in the same bed as him. We always had sleepovers as kids, but now, we were grown, and it made us sharing a sleeping spot rather awkward at first. But, by the third day, I had become used to it. After all, he was rather warm to snuggle up with at night.

Gajeel smirked and walked over towards me, laying down on the fur throws next to me. He pulled me towards him, nuzzling the crook of my neck. I giggled due to the loose hair strands of his, ticking my face.

"What's so funny Shortstack?" he chuckled out, leaving a quick kiss on my cheek.

Blushing, I giggled out, "Your hair was tickling me."

With a devious grin, Gajeel suddenly began to tickle me all over, causing me to squeal out in laughter. I desperately tried to get the brute off of me, but it was to no avail.

"Gaje!! Stop it!!" I laughed out, my eyes now tearing up.

He continued to tickle me, showing no signs of stopping. "Nope! Not until you say that I'm super sexy and you're crazy for me!!"

I snorted along with my laughter. "Never!!"

Picking it up a notch, Gajeel tickled me all over at a much faster pace, causing me to scream and kick at him. "Okay okay, fine!!! You're super sexy and I'm crazy for you."

He finally ceased to tickle me and kissed my forehead. "Darn right you are."

Blushing brightly, I pushed Gajeel away and sat up, stretching. "So, since I'm all better, can I leave this cave now?"

"Yep! I actually was coming in here to get ya. I want ya to meet my pack members," Gaje said.

I cheered, causing him to laugh, and stood up for the first time in a week. I was wobbly at first, but I got the hang of it. Gajeel helped me walk around his cave for a little bit first. Then, he grabbed a jacket of his and thew it at me. Giggling, I quickly slipped the jacket on, not minding that it was insanely too big for me.

Grabbing my hand, Gajeel led me out of his cave. I gasped when I glanced around. What we were in wasn't necessarily a cave, but rather a stone hut with an arched door-way, resembling a cave entrance. There was a long fur skin hanging on the side, which I quickly realized was the door to the stone hut. All around me, there were several of these stone huts, but Gajeel's was the largest. I assumed that it was because of the fact that he was the Alpha wolf.

At the center of the stone huts, was a large fire pit, perfect for a pack gathering. And lastly, I saw many pack members, both in wolf form and in human form.

Gajeel led me over towards the large fire pit, which was luckily lit, melting the snow around it. I smiled in content when the warmth of the fire hit my face, warming my body completely up. Gajeel chuckled at this and ruffled my hair, causing me to pout towards him.

"Everyone! May I have your attention!" he yelled out, causing everyone to stop what they were doing.

Anyone who was in wolf form quickly shifted back into their human form, myself relieved when I saw that they shifted back with their clothes on.

"This is my mate-to-be, yer future Alpha female. All of ya poodles better treat her with respect, or the outcome won't be so pretty," he growled towards the end.

I slapped his very muscular arm. "Don't be so rude, Gajeel!" I turned towards the pack members, some of the males holding their laughs in from me scolding their Alpha, and waved shyly. "Hello, everyone."

Suddenly, everyone swarmed me, hugging me and introducing themselves.

"I'm Lucy, the second-in-command's mate. I was the one who lent you that book to read! I have plenty more if you would like to borrow those as well!" a somewhat tall girl with blonde hair and brown eyes said.

I smiled brightly towards her. "I'm Levy! And I would love to read the books that you have! I'm a total bookworm!"

"Me too!" she squealed out.

We squealed together and jumped around for a bit, causing Gajeel and a pink-headed man to laugh at us. I assumed, from Lucy's blush, that the man next to Gaje was the Second-In-Command and her mate.

The boys walked over towards us after out little squeal-fest.

"She's a beauty, metal head. You better keep an eye on her when that other Alpha arrives," Natsu chuckled out.

Gajeel growled and smacked Natsu on the back of his head, but I was too curious about something to really notice. Lucy simply rolled her eyes, as if she was used to this kind of stuff happening.

"What other Alpha?" I asked.

Gajeel shrugged. "We've got a lot of feral wolves on the loose around here, so I'm tryin' ta get another Alpha to become allies with me. I have one who's accepted, and he's coming for a visit next week."

"Yea, and from what I've heard, he's mateless. So any girl not paired up officially by the ceremony is up for the taking, including you Levy," Natsu added.

I raised a brow, now even more confused. "But I'm with Gajeel, right?"

I prideful smirk appeared on my, well I guess boyfriend's face. "Yea, we're together, but we won't be official, or as you humans put it, married until we have a ceremony. Until then, any male wolf can challenge me for ya."

"But you won't let anyone, right?" I asked.

Suddenly, Gajeel wrapped his arms around me protectively, ignoring the smirking Natsu, and nuzzled me.

"No one'll take my Shrimp away, I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

-Levy-

The pack was preparing for the arrival of the Eastern Alpha. Although I was new to this Lycan life, I was actually already getting the hang of it. Gajeel had set a date for our ceremony, which would be exactly a month from today. He was planning to invite the Eastern pack over, but there was someone else that I wanted to attend as well.

"Um...Gajeel?"

My soon-to-be husband, or really my fiance, was inspecting the pack's territory, making sure that everything was in tip-top shape. He wanted to impress the Alpha, which made me smile. He still had that big ego of his. I should have known that that particular feature of him would never go away.

He never did glance my way, but I knew that he heard me. "Yes, Shrimp? What is it?"

I looked around nervously, playing with the hem of my short orange dress. "Will...will I ever see my mom again?"

"...."

"Gajeel?" I asked, growing wary towards his silence.

He sighed. "Shrimp...she can't know about us, about my kind I mean. If ya go back, it'll just make things more complicated. Tha only way she can find out about us is if she gets hitched up with a Lycan too."

Tears formed in my eyes. "So I...so I'll never see my mom again?"

I felt arms wrap around me, but I refused to look up at Gajeel's ruby red eyes.

"Shrimp...I wish ya could, I really do. I don't like seein' ya sad like this, but if tha council found out, we'll both end up killed."

"Council?" I questioned.

He nuzzled the top of my head. "The Lycan council, group of wrinkled up pricks who think they're better than us. But they're the law, and we gotta follow it."

I couldn't help but giggle. "Since when did Gajeel Redfox ever follow any rules?"

"When a life that mattered came into my own," he whispered.

Smiling very slightly, I snuggled into my boyfriend's chest, happy at the warmth that he produced. It was these moments that I craved, just us alone in the forest, in each other's arms. Since he was in control of an entire lycan pack, he sure was busy often. But it made times such as this more special, more desired by the both of us.

"Come on, territory looks safe and secure. Tha Alpha'll be here soon," he mumbled into my hair.

I nodded. "You're right."

After cuddling for a few more minutes, we separated from one another and began our walk back towards the center of the territory. This was where the pack members lived and mingled. Gajeel and I held hands, which brought about a peaceful feeling from within me.

When we got closer towards the center, I saw Natsu running towards us from the direction that we were heading, panting slightly.

"Oi, what's up with ya?" Gajeel asked.

Natsu recollected his breath before answering. "Alpha...The Alpha's here."

"Already? I thought it would be another hour before he'd make it over here," he said with curiosity laced into his voice.

His Second-In-Command merely shrugged. "Eh, who cares. Everything's in order so it's not like we weren't prepared for him."

Sighing, Gajeel nodded his head. "Alright, alright. We're coming'"

Together, we all walked back to the center. From a small distance away, I could already see new faces, four new faces to be exact. One was a tall girl, her hair a honey brown color. I could even tell from a distance that her eyes were a dark color, and she wore glasses. Another was a tall, blue-headed man. He had the oddest hairstyle, as some parts of his head were shaven, and other parts were quite grown out. The man next to him was shorter, with long, light green hair that covered the right side of his face. Unlike most Lycan males that I had seen, he had a more gentle and calm face.

The three were standing in front of an even taller male Lycan. I would have guessed that this man was even taller than Gajeel. I couldn't really see him since the trio was blocking my view.

We walked towards them, and the closer we got to the group, the more nervous I became. I wrapped my arms around Gajeel's right arm. He apparently knew what was wrong, as he patted my head and said: "It's alright Shrimp."

"So you're the Alpha?" the tall, blue-headed man questioned.

Gajeel nodded. "Yes, I am. Alpha Gajeel Redfox of the Western Pack."

I had to hide my shock, not knowing that Gajeel, of all beings, could be formal towards someone.

"I'm the Eastern Pack's best tracker, Bickslow," he introduced himself.

The girl smiled very slightly. "I'm Evergreen, the war planner."

Perhaps I was incredibly nervous and simply seeing things, but I could have sworn that I saw Elfman glance towards the tall woman and eye her over.

The elegant looking man cleared his throat. "And I'm Freed Justine, the Second-In-Command."

Gajeel nodded towards each of them, and I smiled.

"It's nice to have you guys here. Was there...perhaps anything that you wanted to discuss with me?" he asked.

The man behind the trio suddenly chuckled, stepping forth from behind his pack members. When I saw his face, my own paled instantly.

He was not only incredibly tall but very well built. He had short blonde hair, and a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt ran across one of his eyes. He glanced down at me, smirking.

"Levy McGarden? How funny to see you of all people here," he chuckled, looking back up at my mate-to-be, "what's a human doing on your territory?"

Gajeel moved his arm out of my hold, only to wrap it around my waist, bringing me closer to him. "She's my girlfriend, mate-to-be. We're having our ceremony in a month, now how do you know her?"

He just shrugged. "I see the kid every now and then when she walks to school."

I glared at him, knowing that we both knew how he really knew me.

His name was Laxus Dreyar. I knew him because he just didn't simply see me by coincidence every now and then. No, he waited for me every morning. He waited for me so that he could beat me, assault me, and mock me.


	6. Chapter 6

-Gajeel-

It was obvious that there was more to this idiot's story than what he told me. Levy was trembling beside of me, holding onto my right arm as if she knew I was about to disappear forever. Her eyes held a certain fear towards the Eastern Alpha, so I was very skeptical of him. However, I really needed this alliance. Despite the fact that I loved Levy more than anything, my pack had to come first.

My duty as Alpha came with a price. I couldn't allow my mate to be the cause of my pack's ultimate downfall unless she was in a life and death situation that is. As long as my mate-to-be was alive and relatively well, then I had no choice but to put the pack before her.

"Alright then, so you know my future mate. Big deal. Now, what's the reason for ya makin' such a long journey ta come down here?" I asked, getting straight to the point. I could feel the hurt coming from my little Shrimp, but right now I had to be in business mode.

Laxus smiled, his sharp, canine teeth peeking out of his mouth. "Simple. I'm looking for a mate, an Alpha Female. My pack hasn't had one since I took over five years ago, and I was hoping that your pack would have mateless females?"

"Tch, yea we got some. Don't know if they'll take a likin' to ya though," I grumbled towards him, making sure that Shrimp was as close to me as she possibly could get. I knew she was only human, but once exposed to a Lycan pack, the human could qualify as a mate, which I found out recently from the council members themselves.

"Wonderful! I shall take a look around!" he chuckled out, skimming through the members of my pack.

The mated females were all instantly snatched up by their mates, multiple glares being sent towards Laxus. The unmated females, which weren't many at all, were standing alone and averting their gazes from Laxus. One female, who was known as Lisanna, was taken into interest by not Laxus, but by one of his pack members.

"Hehe, Alpha? Mind if I snatch up a gal too? If you aren't interested in her of course," the tall, blue headed one laughed out with a strangely raspy voice.

Laxus merely shrugged. "Do what you want, Bickslow. None of these are of any interest to me."

I glared at that Bickslow guy as he walked up towards my pack member, Lisanna, and picked her up. She squealed and blushed, but she didn't fight back. As a Lycan, she knew that she had no control over what male chose her to become his life-long mate.

"Gajeel! Aren't you going to stop him?!" Shrimp asked desperately.

I sighed and shook my head. "Females have no saying in who chooses them. But don't worry. We're made to fall deeply in love with whoever becomes our life-long mate." I made sure to say it loud enough for Elfman to hear, knowing that he was at the point of creating unneeded destruction.

I glanced down at my little bookworm. She was already looking up at me, confusion clearly seen all over her face. To reassure her, I smiled down at her and patted her on the head for assurance. She eventually smiled back and leaned against my arm that she was holding onto.

"Finally. Now that you lovebirds are done, I'd like to mention that I know exactly who I want from your pack," the blonde headed Alpha admitted, a slight smirk on his face.

He was somewhat eyeing my Shrimp, which made me nearly growl at him. "And who is she?"

He chuckled, now opening eyeing my girl. "I want Miss Levy McGarden. After all, you aren't officially mated with her, and fighting me for her would be a terrible idea. You know good and well that I'm the most powerful Alpha."

Levy gasped and hid behind me, burying her face into my back. "No! Please don't make me go with him, Gajeel! He's mean to me, he hurts me! He waits for me to walk to school and then corners me in alleyways, and he beats me up until I do whatever he says!"

I was already growling at the guy for even thinking about taking my mate away from me but hearing her say that made the entire situation even more irritating. I snarled towards him, wrapping an arm around my Shrimp and holding her securely against my back.

"Levy is mine! Do ya hear me?! Mine!" I roared out at him.

But he only laughed at me. "Then are you willing to challenge me? I won't go easy on you, just to let you know."

"Yer darn right I'm willin' ta challenge ya! No one ain't gonna take her away from me! Not ever again!"

I let go of Levy and pushed her towards the crowd, not wanting her to get hurt. Laxus stepped away from his fellow pack members, walking towards me. A feral grin was plastered on his face, his eyes narrowed.

"Just for your information, I didn't come to this good for nothing pack to get an alliance made. I found out that the midget was living here now, and I can't just let my little fairy leave me alone, now can I?" He chuckled and glanced over at Levy, who looked away with a guilty aura flowing from her.

I snarled and glared at him. "Yer a sick man, makin' a little school girl entertain ya in alleyways. Just the thought of all tha things ya could have done ta her makes me wanna rip ya apart!"

"Well, go on then. Try to beat me Gajeel Redfox!" Then, the tall Alpha transformed into his wolf, his fur a golden blonde and his eyes as gray as stone.

I wasted no time in transforming, shifting into my black wolf instantly. I growled at him, but he seemed rather uninterested. It caught me off guard, however, I was too late to realize that that was what he exactly wanted. He instantly leaped forward, pouncing on me and biting down on my neck. It was a real struggle to get out of his hold, but I managed to do it after some time.

I wasn't going to lie at this point. His wolf was insanely large, even bigger than my own wolf form. It was going to make this challenge a difficult one, but I had to win. I had to win for Levy. I needed my Shrimp!

I snarled and pounced on him, getting a good bite into his neck. Red stained his blonde fur, and it gave me more confidence. We clashed together, clawing and biting at each other. The size difference was really affecting this fight, as I had more difficulty aiming at the right spots.

Suddenly, I heard Levy scream, which caused me to lose concentration for a moment. But, it was that moment of distraction that led to Laxus tackling me down, biting down on my neck so hard that I began to lose consciousness. Eventually, he let go, but I was much too weak from major blood loss to get back up and keep fighting.

I tried with all of my might to get back up, but I couldn't, I just couldn't. I had lost the challenge, and my nightmare was now my reality.

"Seems you need to work on your focus, kid. Freed! Evergreen! Bickslow! Let's move out!" he said once he shifted back into his human form.

Picking up Levy and slinging her over his shoulders, he and his pack members left our territory.

"GAJEEL!! GAJEEL, HELP ME!!" my little Shrimp cried out, her loud sobs breaking my heart into a million pieces.

"L'Levy...s's...sorry..." I managed to croak out before the invading darkness consumed me whole.


	7. Chapter 7

-Levy-

Everything around me seemed more...gloomy. I couldn't hear the birds chirping, nor the few remaining leaves blowing along with the flow of this winter breeze. Lisanna was also quiet, but unlike myself, she wore upon her face a gentle smile. That smile confused me, wondering to myself why she would be happy with being separated from her brother!

The Lycan, who was incredibly creepy to me, was someone who she didn't even know! He just grabbed her and told her that he was going to claim her. I wondered if that was the way of Lycan life, and from seeing how utterly calm she appeared, I inferred that this was something that she was expecting. And I didn't like it.

Were female Lycans mere puppy makers to the males? I didn't honestly know, as I never thought to ask such a question. Everyone was treated equally in Gajeel's back. There was nothing but smiles and laughter among the pack members. But perhaps that was his pack, a pack of freedom and laughter. Perhaps other packs were more...animal.

"Levy? How are you holding up?" Lisanna asked.

We weren't quite at the pack yet. Laxus and the others wanted to take a break since night was falling. The cold winds were nearly unbearable to me, so Laxus had given me his thick coat. I hated his smell, but I needed the warmth.

The only other being here besides us was Bickslow, stating that he didn't want to leave Lisanna so soon.I really hated to admit it, but they made a pretty cute couple. I shouldn't be bothered by it if Lisanna was okay with him.

"Not good, obviously. I just want Gajeel back," I admitted, not caring if Bickslow heard me. To be honest, he actually seemed to be on our side of this whole situation.

The tall man himself gave me a weird look. "You mean you still like the guy? I thought Laxus's pheromones would have kicked in by now."

"Pheromones?" I questioned.

Lisanna nodded. "Yes. You see, male lycans begin releasing certain pheromones that can only be scented by the female he wants to claim once he's found the perfect female. Once the female smells the unique scent, she instantly finds the male attractive. This method even works on humans, like yourself. Laxus most likely began releasing these pheromones right after we left the territory, so I'm surprised to see that you still hate him and want Gajeel instead."

"Really? Is that why you're okay with Bickslow...?"

"Yes! And it's only natural for females to leave their home pack once they are chosen. Lucy wasn't always apart of Gajeel's pack, you know. She's originally from the Northern Pack. Juvia is also from that pack as well. Natsu and Gray found their mates at the same time actually," she giggled out.

Bickslow simply shook his head, a wide grin on his face. "I'm just still surprised that Laxus's pheromones don't work on Levy."

"And so am I..."

We all snapped our heads towards the direction of the voice, seeing Laxus, Freed, and Evergreen appear out of the forest, a few dead rabbits in their possession.

I looked away from the tall blonde and glanced down at my feet, drawing random shapes into the snow. A cold, disturbing kiss was felt on my cheek, and it took every control cell that I had to keep myself from slapping him across his face.

"That's no way to treat your mate," he teased lightly, running his fingers through my blue hair.

"We're not official yet," I bit out, shoving his hand away from my hair.

Only Gajeel could play with my hair like that.

"Hmmm, yes, you're right. But yet won't be forever. I plan to have us married by the end of the week," he chuckled out, glancing up towards Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow, "Get a fire going! I want these rabbits cooked quickly!"

Nodding, his pack members quickly got to work while Laxus sat down beside me.

"Why are you doing this? I know you don't like me," I questioned him, keeping my voice low.

He smirked. "You aren't going to be the one I love. I have another woman. You're for a different purpose, so I suppose that I can discontinue this 'act of romance' now that we are away from that idiotic pack."

My eyes widened, and I covered my mouth as to refrain myself from gasping. He...had another woman? Looking away from Laxus, I glared at his personal trio, especially at Bickslow. They knew I could just feel it. They also more than likely heard due to their incredible werewolf hearing abilities.

I glanced back at Laxus. "If you already have a mate, then why lie and steal me from Gajeel?"

"Because I'm not finished with you, Levy McGarden. Just because Redfox took you away from your human life didn't mean that he took you away from me," he growled out lowly.

I gave him a look. "What are you talking about? All you did was bully me. Surely you can give that up."

"You don't understand, do you? I shouldn't be surprised, you being a human and all. But here's the thing. Your father died for a wanted crime, a crime that should have been dealt with appropriately. " he bit out.

"...Crime?!"

He shook his head. "You really are stupid. Your father wasn't human, but a centuries-old councilman. He was the one who broke the law of mating with a human. My father, who was also on the council, declared that your father should be executed for his crimes. But, the others didn't see it that way. They got rid of the rule and allowed your parents to remain together. You came along, and that's when my father lost it. He waited for awhile, seeking the perfect opportunity. When I was around ten, he killed your father by poising his meal. It was meant to be a slow death, make it seem less suspicious,"

Tears fell from my eyes, but I needed to know everything now. I needed to. "Then why do you hate me if your father got what he wanted?! Why?!"

Everyone had fallen silent, now listening in. Bickslow held guilt upon his face, but he gave Lisanna a strange look, a very suspicious look to me.

Laxus grabbed me suddenly, pinning me against the tree. His eyes were glowing a golden color and his canines were peeking out of his mouth. "Because the council caught my father after a few years! They killed him right in front of me, my own father!"

My eyes widened greatly.

"I swore from that day that I would get my revenge, and my revenge...will be to kill you, slowly torture you and watch you die like the disgusting, pathetic little human you are!"


	8. Chapter 8

-Levy-

When we arrived at Laxus's pack, I was actually surprised to see many happy and cheery faces around. No one appeared to be frightened of their Alpha. However, unlike Gajeel's pack, the pack members seemed to keep their distance. They didn't interact with their Alpha at all, unlike the Western Lycans, who were all treated as one big family.

And still, they all seemed happy. Perhaps Laxus wasn't a terrible Alpha, but maybe a more king-like one.

"Laxus?" a soft, higher pitched voice called out.

Smirking, the tall blonde made his way over towards the voice, tugging me along by a rope that was wrapped around my wrists. "My beloved, are you well?"

A tall woman with white hair, fair skin, and ocean blue eyes walked up to us, a gentle smile on her face. "The pups and I are very well, yes! But, who is this?"

"Don't worry about this disgusting human, my dear. Can you show our newest member around? She's Bickslow's soon-to-be mate," he told her.

Eyeing her mate suspiciously, Laxus's mate glanced behind us, spotting Lisanna and Bickslow. A gasp was suddenly heard from her. "Lis'Lisanna?! Lisanna!!"

She ran off towards Lisanna, who strangely resembled the Alpha female greatly. But, she left me behind and at the hands of her monstrous mate.

"Now...what am I going to do with you?" he teased me, gripping my wrists tightly.

I winced at the pain. "You could let me go. You aren't a bad guy, Laxus, I can tell. You have a sweet mate and, from I heard, even children. Do you want them to know their father as a killer?"

A strange look crossed his eyes for a split second before he glared at me again. "Don't try to outsmart me, kid. My pups won't even know you're here anyway. You'll be dead by midnight, that I can assure you."

Dragging me along, he led me past the other pack members, past the center of the pack itself. We walked on a little way, until we stumbled upon what appeared to be an abandoned stone hut, much like the ones back at the territory's center.

Leading me inside, he covered the doorway with the fur that was nailed above the door frame. I was suddenly pushed down onto the ground, and he tied my rope to a post that appeared to be hammered into the ground. As I glanced around, I noticed that there were...frightening items scattered about. I discovered daggers, whips, strange vaccine-looking needles, and so much more. It appeared to be the lab of a mad scientist, myself being the experiment.

"I'll be back to kill you later, but I have a mate and pups to care for first," he growled out, leaving the stone hut.

I then heard the sound of hammering right outside the hut, and I could only guess that he was hammering nails into the fur, just in case I was able to escape.

Perhaps I have read too many books...

Soon, I heard nothing but pure silence.

I simply curled up, trying to sleep away the mental pain of it all. But after a while, the torturing devices began to haunt me, I knowing that these very items would be the reason for my death. I would never see my new friends again, nor my mother.

I would never see Gajeel again.

I had already thought about our future. I already knew how many pups I wanted with him. Heck, I even had their names picked out. I was even hatching up a plan to have my mother become apart of the pack. I had so many wonderful things planned out for my future.

And now...all of it will be nothing more than mere dreams, dreams that will never come true.

"Gajeel...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I ruined your life. You spent your whole life looking out for me, but I've done nothing but waste it. We were going to have a wonderful future together, but it seems that we were only dreaming of such a thing. I love you. I love you, and I'll miss you. Farewell..." I whispered to myself.

For what felt like hours, I cried to myself, curled up and shivering from the cold outside. I didn't have my Gaje to warm me up this time. I never will again...

"Levy!" I heard someone yell suddenly.

Knowing that voice to be Lisanna, I sat up and glanced over towards the nailed fur door, watching as the fur was instantly ripped away. Both Laxus's mate and Lisanna bolted inside, checking me over.

"Oh! I'm so sorry that Laxus has done this to you! He's really not a bad guy, I promise! He's just really sensitive about his father since he was so close to him, and--"

"Mirajane, Levy will understand. She's a very forgiving person," the shorter white-headed girl said as she smiled at who could honestly be her twin.

I nodded, sitting up. "It's alright...um, Mirajane. I know he has a soft side, I see it. But...he's...he's harmed me for a few years now. I hope you know that."

She sighed and looked down. "I know, actually. I know who you are, Levy. Please do not think that I allowed him to hurt you like that, I didn't! I punish him frequently for doing that. So often, I'm surprised we even managed to have as many pups as we do."

I blushed, while Lisanna smacked Mirajane on the shoulder. "Sis! What happens on the fur, stays on the fur."

I only blushed brighter, noticing what Lisanna referred to Mirajane as. "Are you both really sisters?"

"Yes, we are! I got carried away with exploring a few years ago, and I ended up close to the Eastern Pack. Laxus found me, and he claimed me as his mate," the older-looking woman explained as she removed the rope from my wrists.

"We thought that a feral had killed her, due to a large portion of blood that we found from the direction that she ran off to," Lisanna explained to me.

I nodded. "So...what are you guys doing here anyways?"

Both Mirajane and Lisanna smiled. "We're helping you escape!"

"I know a hiding spot close by here. We're going to hide you there until Gajeel comes to get you. Evergreen and Bickslow are helping us. Bickslow is going to mask your scent so that Laxus can't find you. Since Gajeel has been around you for so long, or that's what Lisanna told me at least, then he should be able to pick your scent up, no matter what. Evergreen has already gone out to fetch Gajeel and some of his pack members," Mirajane explained.

"I know Elfman will volunteer for sure. You should have seen him, Mira! He was literally drooling over her!" Lisanna added in, all of us giggling at that.

I stood up and brushed off my dress. "But what about that green headed guy, Freed..wasn't it?"

"Oh, he can't be trusted. He's very loyal to Laxus," Mira told me.

I nodded, not surprised at her statement at all.

"Oh, and please. I know Laxus has done such terrible things to you, but please keep Gajeel from killing him. He's a father, as well as my mate. I don't know what I would do without him," she pleaded, but suddenly, her eyes narrowed and a devious grin crossed her face, "But don't worry. Laxus will get a very needed punishment by my hands personally."

I raised a brow, only for Lisanna to tap on my shoulders. "Don't let her normally happy personality deceive you. She's been nicknamed the She-Devil ever since childhood. She's even beaten Gajeel up into a pulp."

My eyes widened at the tall, pale woman, who only giggled. She then grabbed my hand, leading me out of the stone hut. Lisanna followed behind us.

"Now, let's get you to safety!"


	9. Chapter 9

-Gajeel-

I was horribly ashamed of myself.

I had one job, one frickin job! And that was to protect her, care for her and aid her in raising our young. I had one job, and I utterly failed at it. I allowed that...that snobby-nosed brat to defeat me! All because of the fact that I allowed myself to become distracted. I let myself slip and focus on my mate, my little Shrimp who suddenly screamed for some reason. And I never got to know why she did that in the first place...

I was laying on my furs, having recently woken up from the knock-out. Though no one knew that I was conscious quite yet, as no one had come by to check up on me. I knew that my little sister would be by soon, being our medicine woman and all.

Trying to sit up on my furs, I winced in pain and slumped back down, now knowing how excruciating my injuries really were. But why care? My girl was taken from me, and by council law, I can't get her back unless I challenge Laxus myself. But with these horrible injuries, I doubt that I could defeat him, even if he himself was injured as well. It was obvious that the slightly older Lycan had more skill than me, something that I absolutely hated to admit, especially after what had taken place.

"Okay! We can go for a walk after I check on Brother! Hehe, bye Romeo," I heard my sister giggle out as she made her way into the cave.

I had to admit. That Romeo kid had got some guts to flirt with the Alpha's sister. I thought to myself that he could very well make a suitable mate for my precious little sister.

"Sis?" I tried to sit up again, but that of course failed.

She glared at me, walking over and slapping my shoulder lightly. "Idiot! Don't try to move right now! It'll only make your injuries worse, you know."

"Tch, whatever. Just hurry up and heal me so that I can go and kill that moron for takin' my girl!" I growled out.

She sighed as she began to remove some bandages that were wrapped around my chest. "You know as well as I do that Laxus is too strong for you. We aren't going to give up, though. We'll find a way. Luckily, now that you're awake, your wounds should heal in a matter of a few hours, one hour at the least."

I glared at her but didn't say anything, knowing that she was right.

"Gajeel. I really hate seeing you like this. I miss her too. I already think of her as my older sister," she whispered.

Glancing away, I growled lowly. "It ain't fair."

Suddenly, my sister hugged me, careful that she didn't put any pressure on my wounds. "I know it isn't. But we're going to get her back. You deserve her Brother, you really do."

My eyes teared up, despite the fact that I tried my best not to cry. I hugged my little sister back, crying softly into her shoulder.

"It's alright Gajeel. It's gonna be okay, " she whispered, patting my back reassuringly.

I cried for an hour, my sister comforting me as best as she could. She never really had to do any of these things, not until Levy came here. The first time that she saw me cry was when I brought Levy here, mauled and greatly injured by those feral idiots. She took longer than expected to wake up, and that frightened me so much. I didn't even realize that I was crying, but Wendy did. She was there to comfort me until I could see my Shrimp's beautiful hazel eyes again.

When I pulled away from her, wiping my tears away, she smiled and kissed my forehead in a sisterly way. "Don't worry, Gajeel. Everything will be taken care of. Oh, and I won't say anything about this to the guys."

"You're a good little sister," I admitted to her, ruffling her lapis lazuli colored hair.

Giggling, she helped me sit up, the pain nearly gone now. I pushed her back slightly and sat up on my own, happy that I was now nearly recovered.

"Alpha!"

Glancing towards the entrance, I watched as my second-in-command, Natsu, raced inside. He was panting, nearly out of breath. "Gajeel! One of the Eastern pack members has trespassed onto our lands. She claims that she's not here to start any trouble, but I figured that you would like to be the judge of that."

"Yer darn right I want ta be. Do ya know who she is?" I asked as I slowly stood up, thankful that the pain was now gone. It took me a second or two to get strength back into my legs, but I managed.

Natsu nodded. "She's the same woman who came here with Laxus...Evergreen, I think she's called."

Nodding, I followed my friend outside and towards the central fire, where a tall and somewhat frightened woman was tied up to one of our posts. Elfman was standing guard, though his eyes were staring at areas of the woman that I refused to think about.

"What's the meanin' of this?! Ya already have my girl, ya come back to get another?!" I yelled at her, my anger getting the best of me.

She merely whimpered. "Please! Hear me out! I'm not here as an enemy, but a friend!"

"That's real talk, lyin' to an Alpha," I growled out.

She just shook her head. "No! You must listen to me! Laxus doesn't want Levy as a mate! He already has one, as well as several pups!"

The pack grew silent, as did I.

After a moment, I finally managed to speak again. "What?"

"It's a long story, but in summary, Levy's father was somehow the cause of Laxus's father's death. He wants revenge, and he plans to get that revenge by killing Levy! But please, I'm here to help!" she explained.

My face grew pale at her words. If what this woman said was true, then I had to trust her, no matter the risks that came with it. "How do you plan to help?"

She takes a breath. "Laxus's mate is Mirajane. I believe that she use to be a pack member of yours? Her and Lisanna have taken Levy away from our torture hut, and they've hidden her away. Bickslow masked her scent, so only you can detect her since you've been around her the longest. We need you and several of your strongest pack members to return to the hiding spot with me. We do not plan for an attack due to the risks, but just in case something goes wrong, we would need strong fighters."

I nodded, turning to the crowd of Lycans. "Ya heard tha woman! I need strong and willin' volunteers to join me in savin' my mate! Who will join us?!"

"I will! Fighting is manly!" Elfman shouted.

I had to contain a smirk when I noticed that Evergreen chick blushing.

"And so will I!" Natsu shouted!

"Count me in!" Gray followed.

"Me too!"

"I'll join!"

"Let's get our Alpha Female back!"

I smirked at all of my volunteers, which consisted of all of our males, Lucy, Erza, Juvia, and Cana. Their mates knew not to mess with them, as they had taken a liking to their future Alpha Female, especially Lucy.

"Elfman! Free Evergreen so that she can lead us to Levy, but keep an eye on her for me. I can't trust her completely yet," I ordered him, to which he nodded and snapped the ropes around the woman.

She stood and smiled, bowing slightly. "We should arrive there within a few hours before Laxus finds out at least.".

"Well, come on! Let's get going'! And Laki! You're in charge until we get back!" I motioned for the tall woman to start walking.

Soon, we were treading through the snow-covered forests, heading East, heading towards my mate.

"Don't worry Levy. When I find ya, I ain't gonna let ya leave my side again!"


	10. Chapter 10

-Levy- 

 

I didn't like this, not one bit. The hiding spot was incredibly cramped and filthy, but I really shouldn't complain. After all, Laxus can't find me now, not with my scent masked. And even if my scent wasn't masked, I'd doubt he'd be able to crawl into this burrow anyways.

Mirajane had decided this strangely large borrow would be the perfect hiding place for me. It was large enough for someone such as Wendy or I to crawl into, but for anyone else, trying to get inside this hole would be a great waste of their time. It was already cramped for my small body, and it was starting to become increasingly uncomfortable.

It would take a few hours for Gajeel and the other pack members to get here, that I knew. I just hoped that they would make it here all right, knowing now what Laxus is capable of. After all, he managed to defeat Gajeel, an Alpha raging over the fact that his possession of a mate could, and in this case would be altered towards the negative.

For now, I simply curled up as best as I could, trying to sleep the hours away. But with a cramped neck and no room to lay down, I knew that sleep would only remain a wish for myself. I counted the falling snowflakes as entertainment, as well as telling myself stories that I remembered straight from the books that I had read. Speaking of books, it would have been great if Mirajane or Lisanna had given me some to occupy myself.

A little rabbit had hopped its way over towards me, and I giggled when his little nose twitched as he sniffed around. His fur was as white as the snow itself, and it honestly would have been hard to see the little cutie if not for his rapid movements. When suddenly, the little bunny hopped away, obviously afraid of something. His fear must had been contagious, as I was now afraid of what it saw.

Perhaps it was something that would only spook a rabbit, such as a fallen limb or perhaps a little fox. But from the pounding footsteps that I had heard, I knew that it was something, or rather someone, that could potentially be frightening to me. I prayed that it wasn't Laxus, or a feral Lycan. But then I heard something, something that erased my fears for good.

"Gihi, I found her!"

With my eyes watering, I quickly scurried out of the burrow and raced towards the approaching figure, who was none other than Gajeel, my Gajeel. He ran towards me as well, scooping me up and hugging me tight towards his chest. I sobbed into his chest, clinging to him as if I would never see him again. He only whispered soothing words to me as he rubbed my back comfortingly. I sighed in contentment and simply enjoyed being in his arms once more. Despite hearing more footsteps, several in fact, approaching us, I didn't care at the moment.

Lifting my head up, I stared into Gajeel's eyes for the first time since seeing him last. He had tears in the corners of his eyes, his lips pulled up in a slight smirk. I couldn't help but to stare at his slightly plump, but mostly thin lips. As if knowing what I wanted, Gajeel leaned down and captured my mouth into a loving and gentle kiss. Happily, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed back, just a lovingly and as passionately as he was. His arms tightened around my waist as he brought me closer to him, signaling that he would never let me go again. And I didn't mind. In fact, I accepted it with joy.

Someone behind us cleared their throat, causing us to blush and pull away. However, Gajeel kept his arms tightly wrapped around my waist, keeping his secretly displayed promise.

"As much as we love the fact that you guys are reunited, we need to get out of here before Laxus shows up," Gray pointed out, to which we nodded in agreement.

With our hands now intertwined, we trod back towards our pack, and I noticed that Evergreen was suspiciously rather close towards Elfman. He had his arm loosely draped around her shoulder. I smiled at that, noticing how well of a couple they made.

Everyone swarmed around me and hugged me, especially the girls. Lucy cried as she hugged me tightly, a little too tightly in my opinion. "Lucy....can't....breath!"

"Oh! Sorry, girl!" she apologized as she loosened her hug.

We all mingled for a moment before making our way back home, the snow falling gently around us. It seemed as if this rescue mission went very perfectly, a little too perfectly in my opinion. But, perhaps the countless stories that I had read were messing with my brain. This wasn't a story after all.

"Is it me, or did this seem to plan out too well?" I admitted as we trod through the forest.

Several pack members glanced at me before nodding slightly.

"I gotta admit, Shrimp. I thought Scar-Face would find us too, but I guess we got really lucky." He shrugged his shoulders as we continued walking on.

But suddenly, a twig from the denser part of the forest snapped, causing the pack to go on full alert. Everyone was eyeing every area of our surroundings, making sure that the cause of the noise wasn't a threat towards us.

"You morons have got to be the biggest group of idiots that I've ever seen," a deep voice called out from the shadows.

I recognized that voice easily, as did the others.

Gajeel growled at the direction that his voice was coming from, holding me close to him. "Show yerself ya coward!"

He merely chuckled, rushing towards us at an incredible speed. Before Gajeel could do anything, Laxus grabbed me by my neck and yanked me away from my boyfriend, holding me up high above the ground. His hold on my throat tightened ever so slowly, and it got to the point to where I could barely breathe. I began to choke, clawing at Laxus's hand with my nails, but he seemed to not notice.

"Let my girl go, you moron!" Gajeel yelled out, storming towards us with a killer's look in his eyes.

Laxus only squeezed my neck harder, causing me to cry out. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you try to attack me, I break the girl's neck, got it?!"

Gajeel snarled at the taller man, his eyes switching over to a sudden pitch black color. His fangs grew to peek out of his lips, and his nails transformed into claws. It was obvious that he was insanely angry right now, but what could he do? Laxus was too strong for him.

When Gajeel didn't make a move to walk any closer, Laxus chuckled again. "Are you giving up, Redfox? It's not like she'll live. No matter what choice you make, Levy McGarden is going to die now!"

I screamed with nearly every last ounce of air that I had, the tall blonde now squeezing my neck to where I could feel it beginning to crack.

"LAXUS ROTHSTEIN DREYAR!!" a shrill voice yelled out with an incredible amount of anger laced into her voice.

Instantly, Laxus dropped me onto the ground, giving me a chance to crawl back over to Gajeel. I gasped for air as I crawled, but luckily, Gajeel picked me up and held me close to him once more.

Storming out of the shadows of the forest, Mirajane, Lisanna, and Bickslow emerged. The look in Mira's eyes could cause anyone to wet their pants instantly.

"O'Oh...Erm, hello dear!" Laxus nervously chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Suddenly, Mira clutched onto the roots of Laxus's hair, slamming him down upon the ground. He whimpered out loudly and rubbed his now sore head.

"Don't you 'hello dear' me, Mister! You are in SO much trouble!! You better consider yourself lucky that I still love you, or else I would have taken the pups and left your sorry butt by now! To hell with the mating laws! You aren't getting any for two months and you have to change Rinna's diapers for the rest of her baby life!"

Grabbing onto Laxus's ear roughly, she dragged him away. The tall blonde himself was hiding his face, the color of his cheeks and ears as red as Gajeel's eyes. Once they disappeared, Lisanna hugged us goodbye before heading back towards the Eastern pack with Bickslow.

I giggled. "Wow, she sure is a she-devil."

"Are you kidding me? She was holding back right there. I bet he ain't gonna be able to walk for months when she's through with him," Gajeel snorted out, still glaring towards the direction where the small group left.

Laughing, the pack and us continued on our journey home. My home.


	11. Epilogue

-Levy-

My life was simply wonderful, such a wonderful perfection. I loved my life, now and forever, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I have friends, family, a mate, and now several pups to join us.

Our oldest was a male, with his father's eyes and hair, along with my facial structure. Due to his natural rebellious appearance, Gajeel and I had agreed to name him Rogue. He actually was born only a year after the incident with Laxus. After we had returned home, Gajeel wasted no time in getting the ceremony prepared. In fact, we were married a couple of weeks after the incident, and not long after that, I had fallen pregnant with our first pup.

Around three years later, I had yet again fallen pregnant with another baby. With this pregnancy, our daughter was added in with our little family. She had my hair, but every other feature resembled Gajeel more than myself. We had decided on the perfect name for her, Gale.

Within the time period of my second birth, Macao had returned to our pack from his year-long trip. He didn't have to worry about Romeo anymore, as he was already seventeen at the time, mates-to-be with Wendy actually. What surprised us all with Macao's return, was that he brought along with him a mate, another love for him after the death of his first. How ironic and simply lucky that it was for my own mother to become his new mate! I had my mother back and living amongst the pack members, thanks to Macao!

Along with my own pups, many others were born as well. Natsu and Lucy had birthed five pups, four out of the five resembling their mother the most. Gray and Juvia, much to our annoyance, had birthed twelve pups. Juvia wanted more, but we all pitched in and gave her a little talk to help persuade her that a dozen pups were plenty.

Jellal and Erza birthed twins, who were an equal combination of their parents. They possessed Jellal's hair color, yet they had Erza's eye color. The girl resembled Erza in facial structure, while the boy resembled Jellal more. Elfman and Evergreen birthed four pups, two females who were Evergreen look-alikes, and two males who were Elfman look-alikes.

Lisanna and Bickslow only birthed one pup, as Lisanna proved to have an issue with her fertility. However, it resulted in their son becoming incredibly special to the couple.

Laxus had spent a year or two constantly apologizing to us, Mirajane eyeing him at all times with her dark aura ever present. We never revealed Laxus's mistakes to his six pups, knowing that that could ruin the hero that they saw out of their father.

Five years had passed since the birth of my second pup, and our pack was now as strong as ever. We had a total of twenty-six pups, ranging from ages 11 to newborn, thanks to our newest addition. She was a healthy baby girl, born to Wendy and Romeo. When Gajeel found out for the first time that Wendy was pregnant with Romeo' s pup, I had to constantly keep him on guard, as he tended to make a habit out of glaring at his sister's mate. I knew that if I didn't stick around and watch my beloved, he would most surely injure the poor boy.

I was now twenty-six years of age, but I only appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen. Since my father's Lycan gene did not pass down to me, Gajeel had to turn me into one himself, by biting the crook of my neck. Now, I aged much slower with the ability to live for at least three-hundred years.

"Mama! Rogue took my doll again! He said he's gonna throw'er in tha river!" my daughter, Gale, whined towards me.

I smiled at her rough accent, knowing exactly who she got that from. "Where is Rogue now? Take Mommy to him, okay?"

Nodding, she grabbed ahold of my hand and led me out of our stone hut, down past the central fire-pit, and towards the meadow clearing. This spot was where the pups would play, a perfect area where us adults could keep a close watch on them.

"C'mon Mama! This way!" she called out, dragging me over towards the river.

However, instead of seeing my eight year old son with Gale's precious doll, I saw Gajeel standing beside the river. He had Rogue on his shoulders, who was giggling at his new height, his favorite book in his hand.

I smiled and glanced around, seeing a large fur covering a spot on the ground. Platters of various meats rested upon the fur, and my smile grew wider. "What is all of this?"

"Duh. It's a family picnic, Shrimp. What's it look like?" he chuckled out, setting our son back down on the ground.

Giggling, I sat down on the large fur, my family joining me. My daughter, being the Daddy's girl that she was, snuggled beside her father. Rogue was a total Mommy's boy, so he preferred to stay around me. However, in a few years, he would need to start training in order to be ready for his future position as Alpha.

"Alright, brats! Dig in!" Gajeel yelled out as he started chewing on one of the deer legs.

I simply shook my head, watching both my mate and my daughter eat as if they were pigs rather than wolves. My son and I ate our food slowly, though we were both amused at our lovable family members. I wished that I knew about this little family picnic ahead of time. I would have invited my mother, step-father, Wendy, Romeo, and their little infant Junabee.

Now that I think about it...

"Um, Gajeel. I have a question," I mentioned.

He kept munching on his food. "What is it Shortie?"

A dark aura radiated off of me, giving Gajeel the hint that I wasn't very happy with something. "How did Romeo get a broken nose today?"

"Um......."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all that chose to read this older Gjaevy fic of mine! It really means a lot to me.


End file.
